Hydra
by The Straight Elf
Summary: Auror Captain Harry Potter seeks to unravel the mystery behind a strange crime scene and an equally odd attack on the Ministry.


**A/N: Since I'm currently stuck on my other stories, I ended up writing this one. It was originally meant to be a one-shot, but I thought it would work best as a multichapter story instead. Enjoy.**

Jack Thompson wasn't particularly high up on the Ministry pay roll. He was a muggleborn, which had kept him from advancing back before the Ministry was cleaned up by Minister Shacklebolt and his ilk, but he still hadn't gotten promoted even after nearly eighteen years of dutiful service.

It wasn't because of his blood status, of course. His repeated snubs were because he was a slimy, corrupt man. Jack was clearly corrupt – even the others in his Department could see it – but was slick and smart enough to escape the probes that always targeted him.

He wasn't hurting anyone, anyways. So what if he took a few bribes here and there? It wasn't as though he worked for an important Department. Did anything the Department of Magical Games and Sports matter to begin with?

And Lucius Malfoy paid so well for those top box tickets. It wasn't as though the former Death Eater could call on favors anymore, so Jack made sure to milk it for all it was worth.

Jack was actually about to supplement his income right now. He had gotten a discreet message earlier in the day about the World Cup tickets. Someone was very interested – they had promised a hundred galleons apiece for the tickets. That would be as much as all of his other "supplements" together.

He was waiting in the alley. The message had said to be there at seven o'clock, but he liked to be there early. It let him see if it was a Ministry trap and made him look more professional. That usually brought in a few more customers.

Thompson read the message again to burn some time. It was brief and to the point, not wasting time on pleasantries. He liked that.

Suddenly, he heard someone walking into the alley behind him. Jack plastered a smile onto his face and turned around. The tickets were still in his robe's pocket. He wasn't about to let the customer see them until he saw the money.

The customer was less than a foot away from him. Jack recoiled and jumped in surprise but didn't withdraw his wand. He wouldn't let the uncanny meeting throw him off.

"Hello!" He said brightly. Most customers loved it when he did that. They weren't real criminals. The cheer made them feel safer. "Do you have the galleons?"

His customer nodded and reached into their pocket. Jack kept a careful eye on them to make sure that they weren't about to pull their wand and steal the tickets. He also took the opportunity to examine the dark figure.

The customer wasn't very large. They were slight and lean, possessing little bulky muscle. Jack judged them to be relatively young as well. Certainly not out of Hogwarts for too long, as well.

Jack took his attention off of them for a moment when they showed a large leather pouch that clinked with the familiar sound of galleons, or at least some kind of coin. He reached into his pocket for the tickets. Even if whatever was in the bag wasn't galleons he still had to prove that he wasn't reneging on the deal.

He looked up when he heard the rustling of cloth. Jack had one hand on the tickets when he felt a hand on his neck. The customer's other hand quickly plucked his wand out of his pocket and snapped it with a brisk movement.

Thompson struggled against the vice-like grip but met with no success. If anything, the hand only grew tighter. His face was turning blue, but a part of his brain that wasn't oxygen-starved realized that such a small person shouldn't be this strong.

Jack forced his eyes to meet those of his attacker. The customer was staring up at him with deceptively warm green eyes, a stark contrast to Jack's dull gray. He stared straight into the eyes even as the horrible burning in his chest began to overwhelm him and his struggles slowly began to flag and finally ceased.

When Jack thought he was going to die, the warm eyes seemed to glow for a split second before everything went black.

XX

Auror Captain Harry Potter glanced over the report with a furrowed brow. Nothing about the crime scene he was about to visit made sense.

_August 28__th__, 2006. A strange spike of magic was detected by the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes in Muggle London. Three members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad were dispatched to the area in order to investigate the incident and keep muggles from discovering any magical effects._

_The agents (Muldin, Scarwood, and Corwinkle) arrived at the scene at approximately 4:38 AM. They discovered no signs of a struggle, but they did find a woman's body, identified as nineteen year old Malda Hidgins (Half-blood, Hogwarts graduate, moderately wealthy, connections to various Pureblood families and Ministry personnel). _

_Hidgins was in a black robe, enchanted for silence. She had several bags of leprechaun gold (vanished at approximately 6:42 AM in Ministry custody, traced to have been created at approximately 12:10 AM) and had a strange symbol (Department of Mysteries personnel currently deciphering its meaning) branded into her forehead. _

_At 4:50 AM, Agent Muldin cast a preservation charm on Hidgins' corpse. Agents Scarwood and Corwinkle reported the branded glyph began to glow a bright green. Several seconds later, Hidgins' corpse was transformed into an inferi (Class 0, resistant to moderate fire charms and powerful light charms, resistant to moderate and certain high powered spells, possessing of amplified strength and speed) and attacked the personnel._

_Agent Muldin was killed immediately (Images of aftermath attached to back of report) but her screams gave Agents Scarwood and Corwinkle warning. Agent Scarwood was severely injured (Images attached to back of report) but survived. Agent Corwinkle restrained the inferi through several weakening charms and high powered binding charms before calling for help. He was unharmed, although Mind Healers will be obliviating the events from his mind after the investigation is complete._

_Auror personnel were brought to the scene. No evidence of dark magic was found excepting the bound inferi (Currently in Department of Mysteries custody for research purposes) but traces of the strange magic previously detected were discovered around the original location of Hidgins' corpse. _

_Site is currently blocked off from muggles. Presence of Auror Captain Potter is requested due to previous experience with inferi._

_Auror Finwell. _

He didn't like the sound of this. Class 0 inferi? Those hadn't been seen since Voldemort's second rise. They were time consuming to create and difficult to control. Harry hadn't even heard of Voldemort utilizing more than three.

But the rune that activated it was more troubling. Inferi didn't simply awaken – they had to be made and activated personally. If someone had truly discovered a way to activate inferi from a distance then it posed a problem for the Ministry. That individual had to be captured immediately.

Harry didn't pay much attention to the strange magic. It was probably just an ordinary presence muddled up by that rune. He wasn't very good at the analytical stuff anyways. The Department of Mysteries could handle all of that.

He sighed and folded the report before putting it into his pocket. It didn't have much useful information, but perhaps some of it would make sense when more light was shed on the incident. Harry withdrew his wand and walked over to the fireplace.

"Number Twelve Grimmauld Place." He said firmly as he cast floo powder into the flames. When the fire shifted from orange to green he stuck his head in. "Is anybody home?"

Harry was about to leave and send a message to Ginny instead when he heard the pattering of small feet across the clean tile floors. He smiled when he saw Teddy run into the room excitedly. Andromeda must be visiting.

"Hey, Uncle!" Teddy yelled. Harry winced away from the loud sound.

"Hey, Teddy." He said. "I can't stay long, but could you go tell your Aunt that I'm leaving the Ministry for a little while?"

Teddy nodded quickly and ran off. Harry looked after his godson for a moment before pulling his head out of the fireplace. Now that he had appeased Ginny, he could go to the crime scene.

He took out the report again. It would serve as a portkey. But first he needed to glance over the pictures. Harry didn't hesitate as he flipped to the end of the report, ignoring the numerous pages on logistics and measures being implemented. Those had been the bane of his existence when he was an auror and he opted to ignore them in most cases.

If he waited to look, the images would only be worse. It was best to get it over with now.

The first was horrific. It showed the result of the inferi attack on Agent Muldin. Her body was torn apart, the ripped pieces of flesh barely visible beneath the thick layer of blood and gore. Harry sighed sadly for a moment.

Muldin was a good member of the Ministry – steadfast, efficient, and skilled. He didn't know her very well, but from the whispers he'd heard she would have been going far in a few years. It was a damn shame that she'd met such a horrible, unexpected end.

He glanced over the long list of wounds given to her by the inferi. It was disturbing that anything could deal such extreme damage in only a few seconds.

The next picture displayed the injuries of Agent Scarwood. They weren't quite as gruesome – the inferi had only gotten a few swipes in before being restrained – but he was still surprised anyone could survive what the inferi had done. It had broken Scarwood's left arm and femur and had nearly disemboweled the man.

Harry stopped looking at the pictures after that. Most were just of the crime scene. He would be visiting that soon enough, and there was nothing in the pictures that would be changed by the time he got there. Magic was a very good tool for preserving places.

He tapped the report with his wand when he was done. A few seconds later he felt a pull in his gut and he was whisked to London.

XX

"Captain Potter." One of his aurors said. He glanced at her and recognized the woman as one of the recent recruits that passed through training. She wasn't particularly exceptional for an auror, but the fact that she'd passed through training – it was much more difficult than it had in the two years after Voldemort's fall when measures had been relaxed – spoke volumes to her toughness.

"Auror Edgewood." He greeted. "Show me the scene."

She nodded at him and led him into a dark alley. Harry held back a wince at the sharp, metallic odor of fresh blood. Sometimes preserving crime scenes wasn't a pleasant thing. He also detected an undertone of rotting flesh from the inferi. No matter how short of a time they had been dead, inferi left behind a lingering stench of rot.

Harry had seen worse crime scenes than this, but not many. Hunks of meat were spread out all over the mound of bloodied flesh that was no longer recognizable as Agent Muldin. He stared at it for a long moment, noting that the sight was even more terrible in real life, before turning to the rest of the scene.

Aurors and cloaked personnel from the Department of Mysteries were scurrying all over the alley, casting charms in hopes of finding the perpetrator's identity and finding new evidence. One Unspeakable was glancing over a clipboard in what seemed to be confusion.

"Unspeakable." Harry greeted. He knew many of the higher ups in the Unspeakables, but they were forbidden to reveal anything but a code name while on duty. The Auror Captain glanced over to Edgewood. She got the message and left.

"Auror Captain." The Unspeakable replied. "I am Unspeakable Grayson. I'm in charge of the Unspeakables at this scene, and I'm afraid that I have discovered several odd occurrences here. Aside from the obvious, of course."

Harry nodded. "Please continue." He glanced around, noting that several of the Ministry personnel were trying to look as though they weren't listening. "Without eavesdroppers, of course."

Grayson smiled. Harry could detect that much, even with the shadows that the enchanted hood produced.

"Of course." The wizard replied. He withdrew his wand and flicked it several times, creating a powerful privacy charm. Harry noted that it had a much stronger effect than _muffliato_. "Now that that's done, let me begin."

"Firstly, the magic that brought the Ministry to this alley in the first place is unlike any we've seen before." The Unspeakable began. "It's nothing powerful or dark, of course – it's just odd. Strange, even."

Harry frowned. "Could it just be ordinary magic that's been warped by whatever magic created the rune? I'm skeptical that this is something never encountered. It seems more logical that it's just muddled up our equipment."

"No." Grayson replied. "We reached that conclusion at first as well. But our own spells show that it is distinctly different from what we've seen before. I don't believe it's a magical creature, however. It is more likely that it is simply a new form of magic."

The Auror Captain grimaced. "Damn. I don't like this. If whoever did this has created or at least learned of a new branch of magic, than we might be defenseless. Especially if we can't even discover what created that magic."

Grayson nodded. "I do have some clues as to who perpetrated this. We ran what signatures we could detect through the Ministry's records."

Harry's grimace grew. He didn't like the so-called "magical signatures" and the artifacts produced to record and read them. They were convenient – he couldn't deny that – but it didn't seem particularly trustworthy. It was too easy to manipulate through spells and in places with powerful magic – that's how several dark wizards he had caught had escaped justice.

But he was all ears. If this really was the result of a new form of magic being used, the Ministry needed to know of it. They couldn't allow someone with a power impossible to protect against running rampant on the streets.

"Well, we ran them through all the signatures we possess." Grayson said with a smile. "A Ministry official and Hidgins came up positive."

Harry waited impatiently. Names were running through his head, officials suspected of crimes were appearing, corrupt officials to slippery to catch manifesting in his mind.

"Jack Thompson." Grayson said calmly. "He was here, we know that. And since we couldn't detect anyone else's signature he must have done it. At the very least he's a possible witness."

That wasn't a name he'd been expecting. Jack Thompson was dirty, true. Harry knew that he regularly took bribes and abused what little power he had, but he wasn't in a position that could truly threaten something. He had bigger fish to fry, so Thompson had been left alone. The bastard covered his tracks far too well, anyway.

But considering that Thompson had only just managed to pull himself through Hogwarts and hadn't shown any skill other than keeping his bases covered, Harry couldn't believe that he had the ability to use or create an entirely new form of magic.

"Jack Thompson." Harry repeated. "Are you sure your signature is right? Thompson's dirty, but he's small. He doesn't have the guts to kill someone and create an inferi out of their corpse or the desire to give up his job."

"I'm positive." Grayson assured him. "We ran it through three times in order to confirm it. Although I must admit that I had difficulty believing it as well. Perhaps he was coerced?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Even if someone held a wand to his head he wouldn't have the ability to kill someone. Not with the skill level he's displayed." He glanced over at the ruined mass of flesh that had been created by the inferi. "Let alone do something like _that_. How was Hidgins killed, by the way? It wasn't included in the report."

Grayson glanced around a bit, sending Unspeakables hurrying to get the aurors to a more distant location. When the others were away, leaving the duo alone in the bloody alley, he glanced at his clipboard.

"Her body was corrupted by the transformation into an inferi, but we have ruled out dark magic. Aside from the tell-tale scent and remnants of the inferi, we have not found any trace of dark magic or other charms. There wasn't any damage to the inferi's body either, aside from the minor wounds given to it by the agents. It's as though she just stopped living."

"Could it be an effect of the new magic?" Harry questioned. A form of magic that could kill without leaving even a trace of darkness would be more dangerous than the killing curse. Aurors had always been able to detect the killing curse when it was used – it was just such a dark spell that it practically coated them when they entered the area it had been used.

But something that left no trace of magic? That could leave more headaches for the aurors than almost anything else. Harry was liking this less and less.

"Possibly." Grayson said as he shifted uncomfortably. It was the most emotion Harry had seen on an Unspeakable in quite awhile. "But we can't make any assumptions yet. We're still performing an investigation into the inferi."

Harry sighed. This case was going to give him a headache. Nothing was providing answers – just more questions.

They knew the inferi killed the agents, but how? They knew that Hidgins had been killed, but not what had done it. They knew that a new form of magic was involved, but not what it was. They knew Jack Thompson had been involved, but not in what way.

"Inform me if you discover anything else. I need to mull this over." He said. "I'll be in my office, so send any new findings there. My floo's open."

"Of course." Grayson replied. "I'll get back to work, then. There's much to do and not enough time to do it."

Harry smiled, although it strained the muscles in his face. He wasn't in a smiling mood. "I can understand that. Perhaps we'll meet later."

Grayson nodded at him one last time before turning back to his clipboard, ignoring the Captain. It was as though their conversation never happened.

He withdrew the report from his pocket. Harry noticed that a drop of blood had somehow gotten onto it, but put it out of mind. It was a miracle that it hadn't been drenched in blood, considering the almost absurd amount of it that was in the alley.

Harry tapped his wand and waited a few seconds. He noticed that Unspeakables were ushering aurors back in. It seemed that they had some sort of system in place to ensure secrecy.

Then he was yanked back to the Ministry.

XX

Harry had just finished writing a letter to Ginny when an auror trainee arrived at his office. The trainee stood awkwardly in the doorway until Harry looked up.

"Give me a minute." He said. "I've just got to send this letter."

"Of course." The trainee said quietly. He looked as though he were trying to shrink in on himself. Harry found that he couldn't remember the trainee's name, although he had seen him before.

A few moments later he had placed the letter – it was just a short explanation to Ginny telling her that he would be working on a case and might not be home for several days – into an envelope that would transport it to the owlery. He tapped it with his wand to activate the enchantment.

"Alright, I'm done." He said as he got out of his chair. "What's your name, trainee?"

The trainee looked amazed that Harry would care. Apparently he hadn't been here very long. Harry made a point of making him accessible to his coworkers – everything got slowed down and muddled up when people were too intimidated by his reputation and position to tell him anything.

"Err, Francis, sir." The trainee stammered. Harry nodded, paying close attention to the younger wizard.

"Where are we going?" He asked. "I wasn't told of anything."

The trainee struggled to say anything for a few seconds. He finally managed to stammer something out. "Head Auror Robards wants to see you. I wasn't told what it's about."

Harry absentmindedly nodded. The short trip to Robards' office was filled with an awkward silence. Francis was too in awe of Harry to say anything while Harry wasn't sure how to approach the trainee.

He wasn't sure why Robards had decided to send someone to get him – the Head of the Auror Office could have easily walked the distance in less than minute. Perhaps it was important, or perhaps it was simply a way for Robards to establish his power.

Harry knew that Robards was wary of him. The Head Auror didn't like someone as important as Harry to be in a position directly under his own. It made Robards fear for his position. He longed to tell Robards to stop worrying since Harry would hate to be a Head, but protocol enforced by the Head Auror kept him from doing so.

Francis scurried away the moment they were outside the office. Harry sighed in annoyance before wiping any expression off of his face. It was best to be professional around Robards.

He knocked on the heavy wooden door. A few seconds later he heard a voice call out, "Enter!"

Harry casually pushed the thick door open. He wasn't the stick that he'd been back at Hogwarts. Auror training demanded just as much physically as it did mentally and magically.

Although training had been relaxed when Harry entered, it was still physically grueling enough to make him shudder at the memories – he was completely unprepared to do so many physical exercises. He had had a hard time the first few weeks, although he soon grew used to it and started keeping up easier.

The Captain was yanked out of his thoughts by Robards' voice. It was deep and confident – the voice of a leader. Harry could certainly understand why Scrimgeour had appointed him as his replacement.

Robards was a powerful man. His body was proportionate to his voice – Robards was tall and strong, and had managed to keep the muscles he had earned from auror training throughout his years as the Head. The Head had short, cropped black hair that accentuated his flat, strong features.

If Harry's first impression of Scrimgeour had been that the man resembled a lion that had just left its prime, then his first impression of Robards was that the man resembled a large, powerful bear that was still strong and hardy.

"Captain Potter." Robards said. "Am I to understand that you have taken on a new case? You have not been cleared for service after your last mission."

"Sir." Harry said calmly. "I am completely fine. The aftereffects of the cruciatus curse only remain for three days. It has been thirteen since I was affected by it. I am completely ready for this case."

Robards frowned. "There are other Captains I can assign this case to. Captain Weasley has been on leave for nearly a month. It would be simple to recall him from his vacation. He's overdue as it is."

"No thank you, sir." Harry replied with just a bit of steel. "I believe that I'm the best person for this case. Although Captain Weasley has more experience than most with dark magic and dangerous wizards, I am the only Captain that knows it and those that practice it. I presume you've read the report."

"Of course." Robards said. His voice nearly lowered into a growl. "Unknown magic. A rune that activated an inferi from an unknown distance. A host of other oddities. This is not a job for a single captain, Potter. Do not let your pride fool you into thinking that you're the only one that can do this."

Harry managed not to grit his teeth. Robards was being particularly obstinate today.

"Sir, I am working with the Unspeakables. I do not need assistance, and I assure you that I will complete this case quickly and concisely."

Robards glared at him. "No. You shouldn't even be on this case. Cruciatus exposure is far more serious than you seem to believe, and I will not allow a captain onto this case unless they're at their best."

"In this case, Captains Weasley, Proudfoot, and Dirk shouldn't be on the case either." Harry retorted. His patience was beginning to slip. "Weasley is out of practice. Proudfoot has recently been hit with a psychologically scarring curse. Dirk is being investigated for abuse of his power and corruption. That leaves me and Captain Bones."

"And, as you said earlier," Harry said with a smirk, "this isn't a mission to do alone."

The Head Auror looked at him for a few seconds. He finally acquiesced. "You have four days, Potter. After that you will be withdrawn from this case. As many resources as you need will be at your disposal."

Harry smiled. "Thank you, sir. Now, I will need –"

The door behind them was slammed open. Both Harry and Robard quickly withdrew their wands and prepared to fight off any threats. He slightly relaxed when he saw that it was just the trainee from earlier, Francis. Harry didn't lower his wand, however.

"Sir!" Francis said with a tremor in his voice. Robard stared at him. "The Ministry is under attack! The detection device in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes has been destroyed by a terrorist attack!"

Both of the aurors stared at the trainee in shock for a moment. Robard and Harry reacted just as quickly as the other when they finally comprehended what was going on.

"Potter, go sort this out!" Robard barked. "You're acting with my authority right now. Contain whatever the hell's going on out there. I'll secure any exits and activate wards."

Harry nodded. "Yes sir!"

Their annoyance at each other was forgotten in favor of efficiency. Although Harry and Robard were constantly bickering or at odds over some issue or another, they wouldn't let it get in the way of performing their duties.

"Trainee, come with me." He ordered. Harry didn't glance at Francis as he swept out of the room. The trainee followed closely behind him, wand out and breath quick.

"Where is the terrorist now?" Harry asked tersely.

Francis audibly gulped. "The hit wizard that told me about it said that he was trapped in the atrium. He should still be there if he hasn't already been captured."

The Captain frowned. Nobody could be stupid enough to try to hold the entire auror and hit wizard force off in the atrium, of all places. It was completely open and had an entire row of fireplaces where Ministry personnel could floo in. They had to be trying to escape.

"Numbers?" He questioned as they neared a lift that would take them directly to the atrium. Harry didn't know where this seemingly random attack had come from, but he wanted to know if it was a small group or large.

After all, nobody could be stupid enough to attack the entire Ministry on their lonesome. It was a suicide mission – damn it. He gripped his wand tightly as he awaited the trainee to answer.

"The hit wizard only reported one, Captain Potter." Francis stuttered out. Harry noticed that he seemed somewhat more confident under stress. Perhaps it was just that he didn't have time to be intimidated by Harry when far more important things were afoot.

Harry cursed as they walked into the lift. He quickly pressed the button that would take them to the atrium, but also tapped it with his wand. The system quickly identified him as the owner and increased its speed.

This was one of the improvements that Kingsley had made in his first year as Minister. Several attacks were made from Death Eater remnants and various Pureblood supremacists that wanted to go out in a blaze of glory. After the second attack was repelled at the cost of eight hit wizards, three aurors, and twenty two other Ministry personnel, Kingsley made the Ministry into a fortress – easily defendable and difficult to invade.

Rooms were redesigned. Traps could be activated if necessary. Every room could be sealed to keep people from getting in or out. The atrium was designed to open up into a killing field, but also so that it could be easily blocked off. Transportation was made quicker and easier for Ministry personnel but far slower for anyone else.

Most of those upgrades were no longer necessary since most of the remnants and other radical groups had been stamped out by the new Ministry. They were still kept though, just in case the Ministry was ever threatened again.

The fast lift got them to the atrium in no time. Harry was wary as he exited out. Francis was right behind him. He could hear shouts and the familiar sounds of spells being cast in the distance.

As they exited into one of the side rooms of the atrium, a sudden crash sounded throughout the Ministry, carrying a powerful wave of force with it. Harry managed to keep upright as the explosion rocked the entire foundation, but Francis was sent crashing to the floor.

He applied a minor sticking charm to the floor that kept him from being knocked over. A quick shield would keep any falling debris from crushing him.

Harry's teeth were rattled from the force. It sounded as though the entire earth was being torn apart around them. He held tight and extended the shield over Francis, although he let it fade away when the shaking stopped a few moments later.

The Captain had a grim look of determination on his face when it was safe again. He didn't know what the hell the terrorist did to cause that, but he was going to find out. And then he was going to beat the terrorist to a pulp before arresting him.

Harry pulled the younger man up when the last of the rumbles stopped. He summoned the trainee's wand to his hand and handed it back to him.

"Get ready, trainee." He said tightly. "I hope you've been paying attention during training."

Francis was silent as they exited the side room and entered the atrium.

Harry's first impression was that a bomb had gone off. But not just an ordinary bomb – something much, much bigger.

The monument that covered that damn monolith made during Voldemort's brief stint as the Man-Behind-The Minister was completely ruined – thick chunks of the pure white marble inscribed with the names of those that had been unjustly killed under Voldemort's tyranny had been torn off by the shaking and large cracks branched out through the monument. A good blasting charm would probably send it all cascading to the ground.

That was the most obvious example. There were other, more subtle marks as well: fireplaces broken and crumbled, cracks threaded throughout the floor, ornaments and decorations fallen from their previous positions.

All in all, the entire room was ruined. The progress made in it since the reformation of the Ministry was gone; their work vanished into piles of dust and rubble.

Harry spied the familiar red robes of his aurors a moment after he had absorbed the full breadth of the destruction. They were in a semicircle around a single figure that he couldn't quite make out – the dust from the collapse of the monument still obscured much of the room from his view, even to the degree that he could barely make out his aurors – and were attacking with their full might.

Every now and then he could spot the gray robes of a hit wizard or the robes of another member of law enforcement. They didn't seem to be making any progress against whatever foe they faced. That worried him greatly.

"Trainee, return to the Auror Office." He ordered. "Tell Robard to cut all transportation to and from the Ministry. We aren't letting this bastard escape unless it's through his death."

Francis looked troubled. "But shouldn't I help? I mean, I signed up for this kind of thing."

"There's nothing you could do, trainee. If a team of experienced aurors can't bring this terrorist down, you wouldn't be any help." He replied curtly. When Francis still seemed unwilling to leave, Harry glared at him. "That's an order, trainee! Get going."

The trainee finally scampered back to the lift. When he was gone, Harry withdrew the Invisibility Cloak and draped it around him, completely obscuring him from sight. He took a moment to adjust it before making his way over to the battle, circling behind the terrorist.

He moved as fast as he could. Harry didn't have to worry about being heard, but he didn't want the terrorist to somehow catch a glimpse of him due to the Cloak riding up on his leg or some other unfortunate coincidence. The Cloak didn't cover him as well as it once did, so he had to be careful.

Harry took a moment to analyze the terrorist's movements before making a move.

The terrorist was fast and strong – his movements were quick and well-practiced, the oiled movements of a master duelist. His spells were intense, fast, and relentless. They were keeping an entire auror squad on the defensive and masterfully weaving an impenetrable defense when an auror got a spell in.

He couldn't defend from an attack that he didn't know about, however. Just as countless forces had discovered, there was always a hidden weakness that could breach the most powerful of defenses.

Harry leveled his wand at the terrorist's back, tracing his movements and analyzing the patterns the man moved in – he seemed to move like water, fluid and unimpeded, escaping the sting of most spells sent at him.

When he knew that he wouldn't miss, he began his standard spell chain. It had served him well over the years and had made the arrest of countless dangerous criminals possible.

First, a flick that would send a nearly undetectable tracking charm. It would allow Harry to find the criminal again if the ambush was foiled or things went wrong.

Second, two stabs that would send two disarming charms at the target. It overwhelmed most criminals. Most could only block or redirect a single spell at once.

Third, a downwards flick that would send a stunner towards the criminal. If they were already disarmed, then it would always knock them unconscious. If they'd avoided or blocked the disarming charms, then it would force them to defend again.

Lastly, a semicircular movement that would send a minor concussion curse at the criminal. It was nonlethal, but would incapacitate the target if they were unable to avoid it.

He performed it all flawlessly. His wand movements were crisp and efficient, his focus absolute.

The tracking charm – a nearly colorless jet of light, only detectable through vision if you were specifically looking for it – landed straight on the terrorist's back as he smoothly fought off the aurors.

But he detected the disarming charms. The terrorist spun away from them and fired a killing curse at one of his aurors in the process. Harry gritted his teeth as one of his comrades was hit squarely in the chest by the curse, dropping him without a sound.

While the other aurors slowly realized that one of their number had finally been killed, the terrorist turned and narrowly avoided the stunner. Harry growled and began to move into a second chain – one considerably more lethal.

The terrorist dodged the concussion curse, redirecting it into the crowd of aurors as it passed him. None of Harry's aurors were injured by the curse, but it only fanned the flames of Harry's anger.

Piercing curse. Piercing curse. Blasting curse. Stunner. Stunner. Blasting Curse. Sectumpsempra.

Only a few criminals had managed to survive that, much less avoid it. Those that warranted such lethal attacks were the very worst of dark wizards: auror killers, mass murderers, terrorists, heads of large, illegal operations.

But this man seemed to weave through the spells as they arrived. None of them so much as scratched the terrorist, although he seemed to have to put an extreme amount of effort into avoiding both Harry's spells and those that the aurors were now sending at him.

Finally, the terrorist seemed to realize that he couldn't fight his way out, not when he would be fighting foes all around him. He tapped his wand to his wrist in a movement so fast that Harry could barely trace it and promptly disappeared, leaving nothing behind but the damage and havoc he had wreaked.

Harry dodged the last barrage of spells that had been sent by his aurors before revealing himself. He quickly folded the Cloak and placed it into his pocket. Although it was a somewhat well known artifact amongst the aurors, it was almost completely unknown in the Ministry at large.

He wanted to keep it that way. The Cloak was still one of his most important tools during infiltration and stealth missions, or any other cases that required he be discreet.

At first his aurors were wary of his sudden appearance, just as he had taught them to be. They weren't able to discern his features yet, and even if they did he fully expected them to have a wand discreetly pointed at his head the entire time. He would be disappointed if they did otherwise.

They made sure to surround him before trying to identify him, although two split off to take their fallen comrade away. One of the wizards encircling him – an auror that he had trained personally a few years back by the name of Marcus – carefully walked up and glanced at him.

"Oh, Captain Potter, sir!" Marcus said with a salute when he identified his former teacher. "I apologize, I didn't know it was you."

"No need for apologies." Harry said. "We have a criminal to catch. Lock down the Ministry and find the extent of the damage. Ensure that the terrorist didn't leave any traps for us to stumble into."

Marcus nodded. "Yes, sir!" The younger auror turned to the team. "You heard the Captain. Get a move on, you lot!"

"Wait!" Harry called out. The aurors turned to him and paid rapt attention to the respected Captain. "Did any of you get a good look at the terrorist's face?"

One of the aurors stepped forward. Harry glanced at her face and recognized her as a girl that had been two years ahead of him at Hogwarts and had dated Roger Davies. He hadn't worked with her before, but he remembered that her name was Haley Ackerley.

"I did, Captain Potter."

He nodded at her. "Good. You're coming with me to Robard's office. The rest of you," he said to the remaining aurors, "get to work. We need to get the Ministry secured as fast as we can."

The aurors saluted him as he turned around. Haley followed right behind him, sadly glancing at the damage dealt by the terrorist. Harry could sympathize with that. It would only take a day to repair the damage, but what the destruction represented would take much longer to heal.

While the damage would be easily dealt with, the attack held more symbolic power than physical power. In a single moment he had disrupted the peace that had held throughout the Ministry for years, reintroducing fear of the dark, chaotic times they had just left. He had scarred the Ministry.

But Harry would scar him far worse. No one was allowed to hurt his Ministry, his institution.

XX

"What happened?" Robard demanded as they walked through. He was standing behind his desk, although he seated himself when they entered his office. "Was the terrorist captured?"

Harry sighed and slid into one of the chairs in front of the desk, feeling a wave of defeat crash over him. "No, sir. He escaped via portkey, despite our best efforts."

Robard growled in annoyance and rubbed his temples. "Were there any casualties? Give me a full list of the damage that you observed."

"We lost one auror." Harry said, managing to keep his voice from cracking. "I wasn't able to identify him."

"It was Galveston." Haley said, drawing attention from both of the superior aurors. Her voice was barely held in check. "He was hit by the killing curse. A quick, clean death."

Robard grit his teeth, every muscle in his face straining. He couldn't hold back the despair he felt for his fallen comrade – the Auror Office was a small, tight-knit community. They didn't know all of the other aurors well, but they were all friendly. Any loss was like that of losing friends or family.

Harry was having keeping in control as well. He was in the most extreme group of aurors – those that tackled threats that no other aurors or law enforcement officials could face, those that were the Ministry's first and last measure against great threats.

Death was common, and he had already faced so much of it during his life that he was desensitized to it. But he still felt untold grief when one of his comrades fell in battle – it was impossible not to, even if he didn't know them very well, such as in Galveston's case.

"Damn it." Robard muttered. He took a moment to gather himself. "Were there any injuries?"

"No." Haley said with a shake of her head. "Galveston was our only casualty."

Robard sighed for a moment before turning to Harry. "What did the terrorist do? I felt a shockwave. Other Departments are reporting it as well. Was a bomb used?"

"I didn't arrive to the atrium until after the event occurred." Harry admitted. He glanced to the other auror. "Auror Ackerley, did you observe the event?"

"Yes, sir." She said clearly. Haley appeared to have shaken off her grief, at least for the moment. "We didn't catch his spell, but it appeared to be some sort of overpowered blasting charm. It was far more powerful than an ordinary one, however, and had a much larger range. The atrium was dealt severe damage from the spell, but we were able to shield against it."

Robard nodded. "Good, good. Nothing permanent, then. Captain Potter, how skilled do you believe this terrorist to be? It is clear that he is powerful, but is he skilled?"

"He held off an entire team of aurors and several hit wizards." Harry replied grimly. "I have no doubt that he would have done much more damage had he not been forced to flee. The terrorist didn't seem to tire."

"Skills?" Robard asked calmly. Harry thought it was too calm – it seemed as though the Head Auror was about to snap. Perhaps he had already realized that this would shake the Ministry to its core and would terrify the public.

Harry thought over the battle for a moment, remembering the movements of the terrorist and the spells he used. He quickly analyzed the basic capabilities from his memories as well as the other information he knew about the terrorist.

"The terrorist is an experienced, master-level duelist. He is capable of acts of espionage and massive destruction, as proved in his infiltration of the Ministry and destruction of the atrium. I observed that he had great experience dueling – he moved quickly and efficiently and showed no fear of using lethal spells."

Robard mulled over the information for a moment. At last he seemed to reach a conclusion, or at the very least a course of action.

"This attack is going to stir up a storm of media and terrified civilians." He said gravely, staring over his steepled hands at Harry. "We must react quickly. This terrorist is a grave threat and must be neutralized or brought in – dead or alive. Captain Weasley will be working on this case, Captain Potter. You are to lead any assaults to bring this man in."

"Understood, sir." Harry replied. "I believe that we do have two leads, however."

Robard glanced at him. "What are they? We must act on them at once."

He glanced at Haley. "Auror Ackerley saw the terrorist's face. Although I doubt that we will be able to identify him by sight, it will at least give us an idea of who to look for. I was also able to place a tracking charm upon him during the battle. He didn't show any sign of noticing it."

Robard smiled widely, one of the few times Harry had seen him do so. It was a stark departure from his ordinarily grim, serious demeanor. Still, it made the powerful auror seem years younger – the smile washed a decade off of his frowning face.

"That's the first good new I've heard all day, Captain Potter." He glanced at Haley before standing up. "Auror Ackerley, do you know what a pensieve is?"

Haley looked confused and shook her head. Harry took on an expression of interest. He had no idea that Robard had access to a pensieve – he had been given Dumbledore's old one a few years ago by Professor McGonagall, but that was a secret that he kept close to himself. Even Ginny didn't know about it.

"I'm not surprised. It's a device that allows you to enter memories." Robard explained. He tapped his wand to one of the mahogany cabinets behind his desk, causing it to turn translucent and reveal a deep bowl filled with a silvery, gaseous substance – the physical manifestation of memories.

"They are very rare." He said. "But they are very useful for investigations. I believe that the Auror Office possesses one of the only eight in Britain. Now, come over here."

Haley stood up and walked over to the pensieve, glancing over at Harry in concern. He nodded to reassure her and stood up himself. If he was going to be leading this investigation, he needed to know what the terrorist looked like.

Robard smoothly picked up a small crystal vial, uncorking it with a flick of his wand. He offered it to Haley, who took it with a look of confusion on her face.

"Place your wand to your ear and say this incantation, _manifesta memora_." Robard said calmly. "Focus upon your memory of the battle. Focus upon everything that happened."

When a bit of the silvery substance began to pour out of her ear, Robard continued to calmly give the young auror instructions.

"Good. Now, slowly pull your wand away from your ear. The memory will cling to it." When she did so, Robard gave the final command. "Tap your wand to the vial. Let the memory fall into it."

A moment later the memory was in the vial. Robard cleanly took the object from Haley's hands. Harry glanced at the tired auror sympathetically. Manifesting a memory was rather draining the first time you did it, simply because it was so difficult for the mind to do.

She would likely be sent home after this was over. After the battle and this she had to be about to fall asleep. Harry wouldn't be surprised if she fell unconscious while they were in the pensieve.

"Go to the chair and sit down. You deserve your rest." Harry muttered to her. Haley nodded at him thankfully and followed his command. He turned back to Robard. The Head Auror had just finished placing the memory into the pensieve.

"Do you know how to operate it?" Robard asked. Harry nodded.

"I've used pensieves several times. You don't need to explain anything to me."

Robard looked slightly curious for a moment – likely wondering where Harry had received the opportunity to use such a rare device –but returned to business.

He kneeled down to the pensieve, allowing it to yank his mind from his body and into the swirling maelstrom of memory. When Harry was sure that Robard's journey was completed, he joined him.

XX

The memory quickly materialized around him. It was at the very beginning of the attack, when the terrorist had just entered the atrium. Haley's team was following him closely, firing stunners and other spells meant to restrain the terrorist.

Harry walked over to Robard's side. The Head Auror was lost in the memory, paying rapt attention to the events surging around them. He was paying attention as well, but more on the actual chase. Robard could pay attention to the voices.

They followed behind the aurors as the law enforcement officials chased the terrorist. Harry was reminded of a group of baying hounds hunting a very large, very dangerous wolf. The terrorist still hadn't begun fighting back, instead opting to deflect spells and gracefully weave through the panicked Ministry personnel.

And then they trapped him at the fireplaces. Harry watched carefully as the aurors surrounded the terrorist, unaware of what the cornered man was about to do.

The terrorist raised his wand and shouted, "Flamine!"

Harry had to cover his eyes as a brilliant flash of light lit up the dull atrium, heralding the wave of destructive force that followed in its wake. He opened them a moment later and watched sadly as the translucent wave destroyed the monument to the fallen and the atrium that represented so much to him.

Then he turned his attention back to the terrorist. It wasn't yet time to mourn. He could do that when the bastard was in chains and being shipped to Azkaban.

He wasn't sure when Haley had seen the terrorist's face. Until then they wouldn't be able to make it out – they could only see what she had seen, although they were free to pick up details that her conscious, battle-driven mind would have missed in the heat of the moment.

Harry took the time to watch how the terrorist fight. Robard seemed to be doing the same. The Head Auror had an impressed, albeit disgusted, look on his face.

"What is it?" Harry asked quietly. Robard looked over at him, no longer lost in analyzing the memory.

"It's nothing. Just that it's a shame such a good fighter had to be a filthy terrorist. He has to have years of training and experience. He's shifting through forms that take years to learn like its nothing."

Harry nodded. He had noticed the same thing. "How many aurors do you think it will take to bring him down? I hope to take him by surprise, but plans never work out the way we expect them to. I believe it will require at least two squads in order to avoid any unnecessary casualties on our part."

"All casualties are unnecessary." Robard rumbled. "But some can't be avoided. I agree with you, although I don't believe you will be able to use two squads. His kind – the bloody terrorists – always tend to hole up in confined areas. Numbers won't be much of an advantage if he follows the formula."

"I agree." Harry replied, years of experience flashing through his mind. "But nothing about him is ordinary. It's possible that – there's his face."

Robard flicked his wand, freezing the memory in place. Both of them quickly traversed the frozen world – walking straight through the incorporeal forms of the fierce, brave aurors – and got a closer look at the suddenly identifiable face.

Both of the powerful aurors' faces twisted in astonishment and confusion when the terrorist's face was revealed to them. For it was not what they expected – some fanatic left over from the years of Voldemort or dark wizard seeking to send a message.

Staring out at them with a small smirk on his pale face and a mischievous twinkle in his gray eyes was the instantly recognizable face of Jack Thompson.


End file.
